


The Beginning

by Tarlyra



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel, Hell, M/M, Profound Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 22:39:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6726265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlyra/pseuds/Tarlyra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is trapped in hell but Castiel has been sent on a mission to save him. While he carries out this mission something unexpected happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning

Dean was in agony, his entire body had been set on fire, numerous times. His limbs had been torn to pieces, only to be stitched back together again while he was deprived of rest from the constant pain, and the noises, the screaming they were the only consistent things in the Godforsaken place called Hell. It was no wonder, that after such a long time in the endless stream of new torments that he had finally given in to Crowley, to his demands.   
Dean found himself losing a little piece of his humanity every time he inflicted pain on another’s soul. Torturing a soul was utterly unlike killing any of the monsters that he had killed before. Not only were these souls human, but Dean knew that every wound that he inflicted upon them burned a thousand times brighter than it would were he to do the same to their flesh. Each time he carved, burned or stabbed a soul Dean could feel the pain radiating out from them. It cut into him like ice, causing his own soul pain. He also felt the pain of his own soul becoming blacker, darker and drifting away from his previous humanity. 

…

Dean was completely lost. He had become Crowley’s butcher, been that for so long he could barely remember any existence before now. He only knew what it was like to inflict pain, to slice, chop, stab and burn until the soul was broken, a hundred times over and more. He only knew that if he stopped, he would become the object of the torture, he would the one to be broken like that so he continued, until he no longer recognised anything of himself. He no longer even recognised his name as Dean Winchester, he was only The Butcher. 

…

Castiel watched forlornly at his mission, Dean Winchester was to be rescued from hell. He had been ordered to rescue this pitiful creature, but frankly Castiel could not see what about him was worth saving. There was nothing left of the person that he once had been, and he highly doubted whether he could even save the elder Winchester brother. But it was not Castiel’s place to question the orders. Castiel was not like Lucifer, he followed his orders.

He wished that he could close his eyes, stop breathing and hearing. The stench, sounds and sight of Hell alone made him retch, causing him to tumble through the air before he could regain his balance. Hell was designed to cause ultimate suffering to human souls, so to an angel whose senses were heightened way beyond a human’s. It was far far worse. 

Castiel knew that he would find Dean at the lowest level of Hell, where the worst form of torture occurred. Nobody had ever come back from that, well nobody had ever escaped hell before, unless they were a demon. But not even those souls had come from the lowest level of hell. This would be a first. Castiel flew through level after level for hours, feeling as if it was days or months with the horrors that he saw, he knew that nothing could ever erase that from his memory. He made the decision that after this mission he would ask for reassignment. He never wanted to be given a field mission again, and he had been there at Auschwitz, and at the Rwandan genocides, neither of them had been as bad as this. 

He spotted Dean crouched over some broken soul, shattered into pieces. The souls were in such agony that Castiel nearly passed out as feeling the pain radiating from them, seeping into every pore of Castiel’s body and into his grace. He landed just behind Dean, he reached out to touch him, just as Dean sensed the angel’s presence behind him and turned around. 

What happened next Castiel could not have predicted. Despite the burns coating Dean’s skin that Castiel knew must burn like fire, he only felt ice. He knew that he was not touching Dean’s body but his soul. The soul blazed straight through Castiel as he felt the pain that had been inflicted upon Dean though the entirety of his time in hell causing him to gasp in torment.   
It took everything Castiel had to remain standing, until Dean turned around fully to face him. 

Dean’s eyes were the first thing that Castel noticed. There was no humanity left in them at all. No kindness, compassion, hate or love. To say that they were cold would be an understatement and an untruth. There was nothing in them at all. In fact Dean appeared entirely indifferent to the presence of the angel, other than the confusion at his appearance. 

The words of his brother, Hannah, rang in Castiel’s ears, “It will take more than your strength alone to resurrect this lost soul Castiel”. The last words he had said to him before he had flown into the black depths of hell.

Castiel was starting to understand the meaning of his words. It wouldn’t be enough to simply bring Dean back to his body, he must restore his soul as well. The only way Castiel could do that though was to use his grace.   
Castiel steeled himself to pour out some of his grace into Dean’s soul. He lifted his hand to Dean’s shoulder, and let his grace flow, feeling he waves pulse out of his body into Dean. Castiel could not help it, he gripped his hand tight into Dean’s shoulder as his grace began healing Dean’s soul, restoring his humanity. This was not simply a case of healing a wound or body, this was so much more.   
Castiel recoiled as he felt Dean’s soul begin to respond, to stir under the healing caress of his grace. 

…

Dean looked at the angel, not comprehending what was happening. All he knew was that his soul burned like a thousand suns, but that that pain was being washed away by a presence inside of him. The presence seemed to be coming from the being stood before him. But Dean did not understand who he was or what was happening, he was still too far gone. 

…

Castiel shuddered at the monumental effort he was putting in to restore Dean’s soul.  
The pair of them stayed locked together through the sheer force of Castiel’s grace flowing between them for ten minutes before Castiel started to feel something else happening.   
He began to feel Dean’s soul reach out to him, to follow the path of the grace back to its original owner. This created a more intimate connection between the two of them. Castiel felt his grace begin to become more exploratory of Dean’s soul. It seeped into every part of Dean imaginable, the grace intermingling with Dean’s soul and becoming ever more gentle and caressing as it soothed and repaired. 

Castiel and Dean remained in that position, looking at one another, feeling something happen between them, but neither having the ability to put it into words as the connection between Castiel’s grace and Dean’s soul was the most intimate bond possible. It overwhelmed them both and while Castiel was repairing Dean’s lost soul, they both became lost in a deeper way. They were lost in one another. 

…

When it was finally over Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean who wrapped himself around Castiel in turn, not knowing why he had to do so but needing to be close, to feel Castiel’s embrace. Castiel opened his wings, and Dean stared at them in awe, they were the most beautiful things he had ever seen and at the sight of them he began to cry. Tears streaming down his face as he took in their beauty. The angel began to fly up, taking them both back to Earth, utterly lost in the feeling of closeness to Dean, but not comprehending what that meant. He had never before felt emotions and the experience bewildered him. As he flew, he registered Dean’s crying but also not understanding why. 

The wings may have been the trigger for Dean to cry but once the gates were opened, he felt and understood all the pain that he had been in, all that he had done, and all that he had felt and been through during his time in hell. His tears were his release, while Castiel’s embrace comforted him. Whatever it was that had occurred between them neither of them knew, all they knew was that they had formed an unbreakable and profound bond. 

At the gates to hell Castiel paused, looking down at Dean. He was still crying, allowing the raw unfiltered emotions to rage through him as he tried to process what he had been through and the knowledge that somehow he was saved. Castiel knew, that his mission was still not over and though it hurt him to do so, Castiel knew that he would have to set up a block in Dean’s mind. To partially lock away the memories of hell and with them the memories of Castiel. 

Castiel was confused as to why he hesitated, he knew it was the logical thing to do in order to complete his mission and bring back Dean so that he could be of use to them. He knew that if he didn’t hide those memories then Dean would remain broken, not being able to handle the guilt of what he had done. Still Castiel hesitated as he did not want Dean to forget him, though he did not know why the thought of Dean forgetting him affected him so strongly.   
He raised his hand to Dan’s forehead to do him one last favour before sending Dean’s soul back to his body where it lay deep within the Earth where Sam had laid him to rest.


End file.
